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The Department of Human Biology, through the Office of Technology and Transformation, is leading scientific change in OR Tambo municipality through a string of workshops aimed at enhancing Grade 10 Life Sciences teaching and learning.
This initiative came as a result of a shared interest in community engagement, and development between WSU and the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB).
Human Biology Lecturer, Mathulo Shauli believes that if teachers understand and comprehend the content in the curriculum, it should be easier for them to handle the science discipline, teach it better and be able to conduct the experimental work with the learners.
“The initiative kickstarted as a celebration of World Anatomy Day (October 2023) which was dedicated to teaching the learners about the normal structure of the brain, what the brain does in everyday life, and the injuries that drugs do to the brain,” according to Shauli.
AV Plaatjie Senior Secondary School, Zwelodumo High School, and Dalukhanyo Senior Secondary School formed part of the programme that conducts scientific experiments in state-of-the-art labs at WSU.
“These schools do not have either facility or equipment to conduct their experimental work. In the first experimental exposure, learners were hands-on, wrote own reports on results obtained from the experiments themselves, seeing for the first time the reactions of their experiments,” Shauli said.
Approximately 50 teachers have been workshopped, and 366 Grade 10 learners were invited to WSU laboratories to experience practical examples of the content they consume in class, with 6 scientific experiments completed in the first term of the 2024 academic year.
“In the first experimental exposure, learners were hands-on, wrote their own reports on results obtained from the experiments themselves and seeing for the first time the reactions of their experiments. We also entered discussions of all results to make sure all understand their work.”
These activities are expected to continue until the 4th term, to afford learners the opportunity to revise all material in preparing them for their final Grade 10 examinations.
Taking the lead on the initiative from OTT, Scout, Asiphe Kenene highlighted that the collaboration has garnered widespread support, not only from the students and science coordinators in O.R Tambo District Municipality, but also from teachers, parents, and school governing bodies.
“The mentioning of long-awaited opportunity by the community, summed up the happiness of this initiative which they are hoping will bring change in Life Science education in the rural Mthatha schools where facilities are not available for proper science teaching at these schools,” Kenene said.
ICGEB is a centre of excellence in Research, Training and Technology transfer to industry to promote sustainable global development.
By Ongezwa Sigodi
